


Babybluejeans 2: Karya's Pastime

by thebeanunderthecorner



Series: the one with the jackals [3]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Bodice-rippers are prime reading material, Domestic Fluff, Family Dynamics, Geniuses, Lup's kids are smart, Most of them are parents now, Other, Reading, Studying, romance novels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:54:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27905530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebeanunderthecorner/pseuds/thebeanunderthecorner
Summary: It's been about a decade and a half since Angus McDonald sleuthed out the Mystery of the Bluejeans House and the twins are in their teens. Magnus finds out interesting information about what they do in their spare time.
Relationships: Barry Bluejeans/Lup, Magnus Burnsides/Ren
Series: the one with the jackals [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2036374
Kudos: 2





	1. In Which Magnus Is Horrified

Magnus walks up to an adolescent Karya Bluejeans, who is sitting slumped against a wall reading.

"Whatcha reading, kiddo?" he asks, assuming the prodigy would be reading some Smart Kid™ book.

She looks up, a grin on her face. "Smut!" is her reply. She goes back to reading.

Magnus nearly chokes on his Polar Pop. "Does your mom know about this?" He's very concerned. 

"Duh! Who do you think I got it from?" She's still reading, not bothering to look up from the bodice-ripper in her hands as she talks. Magnus is appalled.

He turns to walk away. "Luuuuup! I have some concerns about your daughter!" he yells into the other room.

Karya giggles. 


	2. In Which Lup Explains

Doctor Lup Bluejeans is in the kitchen, pulling out random ingredients so she can make dinner, when Magnus corners her about her kid's reading habit. 

"Guess who I stumbled upon reading trashy 'romance' novels?" he (almost) shrieks. 

"Oh, yeah! Karya's been into those lately!" the elf woman says nonchalantly as she digs through the cupboards. 

"She's just a kid! I'm not sure she should be reading those kinds of things. And isn't she, like, super smart and a prodigy and all?" Magnus asks, genuinely concerned. Lup turns to look at him. 

"First off, she's not a kid, she's a teenager. Second, that one has a higher word count than the other ones on my shelf, so why not?" Lup counters. She's grinning from ear to ear. "If she's gonna read that stuff, might as well read the longest one to really stretch her brain. And, besides, her brother's got all the textbooks this week. It's his turn to study."

"Wait, so Karya and Sapro only study a week at a time?" Magnus asks incredulously.

"Only for right now. Sappy's trying to get into the Ivy Leagues for the arcane sciences, so he studies all week and then takes a week off. That week off is when Karya studies, or at least says she does, but we all know that she's fine without it. So I 'reward' her good grades by letting her read any book of her choosing from my own personal collection," Lup explains.

"It's a very effective system!" Barry calls from the other room.

"Yup! AND she's learning new words!"

Magnus just walks away, dazed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karya and Sapro are named after science words. 
> 
> Karya's name comes from "eukaryote, " the word for an organism with cells whose genetic material is made of DNA stored in the nucleus of the cell. Basically, all living things besides eubacteria and archaebacteria. Fun science words! 
> 
> Sapro's name is a shortening of the word "saprophyte," which is a plant, fungus, or microorganism that lives on dead or decaying organic matter. Their dad's a necromancer after all, so... Why not?


	3. In Which Lucretia Is Proud

Lucretia walks into the house, holding a tray of desserts in her hands. Karya looks up from her spot in the corner.

"Hi, Auntie Cretia!" she chimes before returning to her book.

"May I ask what you're reading?" the older woman inquires. She is only slightly more prepared for the teen's answer than Magnus had been.

"Smut," she says nonchalantly. "But, like, it's not even the good kind."

Lucretia's hand flies to her mouth. "I do hope it's not one of mine!"

"No, it's by some little nobody from New Elfington. I picked it because it was long. I'm not sure why Mom even has it," Karya replies.

"Oh, good! I thought you were about to insult my work. I put a lot of creativity into those books, you know." Lucretia is relieved. 

"I know! The third book in your 'Things That Go Bump' series is probably my favorite!" She smiles up at the woman. "My favorite part is when-"

She is interrupted by Magnus's re-entry.

"Hey, Creesh!" The old woman cringes. "How's it going?"

"It's going well! We're actually working on some fascinating new projects at the Bureau right now. I'll tell you all about them later, if you want. Oh! Where's your wife? Isn't she supposed to be here too? It is a family thing, after all."

"She and Taako are in a school board meeting, so they'll be a little late tonight. Angus has been roped into watching the kids till Ren gets home, then they'll be over right away," the man explained. "And, speaking of kids-"

"Not a kid," came a voice from the corner of the room.

"- Did you know that Lup rewards this one," Magnus points, "by letting her read her cheesy bodice-rippers?"

Lucretia feigns surprise, then laughs. "Yes, I know. I've even written some back in the day."

It's Magnus's turn to cringe. "H-h-how many?" he asks, hesitant to find out.

"Oh, a good thousand or so. It got quite lonely on the Starblaster sometimes. And then there was that... Decade... Quite a lot of time to fantasize. And write. Found a publisher who had no qualms about releasing all of my works into the world, so it worked out quite nicely."

"So that's how you could afford to build the base, Auntie!" Karya has stopped reading and is now paying attention to the two adults talking rather loudly about a certain writing business. 

Lucretia nods. "Yes, dear. That was a most lucrative business decision on my part. I do believe your wife has read some of my novels, Mags."

"Uh… no… She has some, but I don't recognize any of the authors."

"Does the name 'Barbara Cartland' mean anything to you?..."

He gasps. " _No!_ It can't be!" 

"Oh, but it is!" she chuckles. Karya laughs with her. "I believe she has a few signed copies, as well."

"I don't think I'll ever be able to look at you the same again, Creesh." Magnus shakes his head. "I'm gonna go talk to Barry, who I'm hoping isn't going to spring any of this on me. I don't think I can handle any more of this." The middle-aged man walks into another room, hoping to escape this talk of romance novels. 

Karya offers Lucretia a fist bump from her spot on the floor, and Lucretia bumps fists with the girl. "That was great, Auntie!" She smiles up at her in admiration. 

"That it was. Now, may I see the cover of your book so I can finally know whose work you've got there?" Karya lifts her book so Lucretia can see the front cover. The older woman laughs, clearly recognizing the author's name. "Oh, Taako, always one for theatrics. No wonder it's so long!" 

The teenager on the floor bursts into laughter. 

… 

Meanwhile, at the semi-annual board meeting for Taako's Amazing School of Magic, the headmaster abruptly pauses his closing remarks, having suddenly felt slighted somehow. Taako concludes his remarks, then dismisses the other faculty and board members. The elven man gathers up his things and his sister-in-law, Ren, and heads quickly out the door, in a hurry to get to his sister's house for dinner. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend came up with the idea of Lucretia writing romance novels in her spare time with her pent up frustrations, and this chapter was born.
> 
> And Barbara Cartland was one of the most prolific romance novelists, under several pen names, with over 700 novels and a number of other kinds of works. She lived from 1901 to 2000, and was related to Princess Diana, who was her step-granddaughter.

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all, I remembered a Tumblr post or something from forever ago and just had to write it.


End file.
